Oh Sandra, where did it all go so wrong? Well . . .

Arts & Entertainment - Commentary

September 8, 2009|By Roger Moore, Sentinel movie critic

You sit, you watch a movie like Adam. Maybe, if you're like me, you're curious enough about the syndrome that sits in the center of this "overcoming a handicap" romantic comedy that you research it or you talk to people who have it (in my case, for a story).

And then you watch All About Steve and are tempted to diagnose Sandra Bullock's socially incompetent crossword puzzle constructor.

Consider:

In Adam, the good-looking title character has normal wants and desires, but is awkward around people, doesn't pick up social signals, is a bit too direct about sex and the like. He wears the same clothes and eats the same foods. And he's REALLY into what he's into -- space and telescopes.

In All About Steve, the lead character can't quite function in society. But she is good-looking, even if she wears the same clothes (red go-go boots), is entirely too direct about sex and is REALLY into what she's into -- words and puzzles and trivia and such.

Does Mary, her character, have Asperger's? Does that explain why she doesn't realize that the guy she chases cross country isn't interested in her?

Or why she annoys strangers everywhere she goes with her chattering, chattering, chattering about arcane facts and the English language?

It's a close call.

But that's not why the movie is awful.

It's awful because of the romantic-chase Forces of Nature--style first two acts, followed by a ham-fisted feel-good "redemption" third act, packaging media bashing in a celebration of moronic redneck yokels who wander from media circus to media circus, holding up Jesus signs and railing about where the president was born.

Florida Panhandle native Katy Mixon plays one of these -- not her finest hour.

It's awful because it's the second movie in a row to use Dr. Ken Jeong and to NOT see how funny he was in Role Models and The Hangover, wasting him.

It's awful because it gives Charlyne Yi an unfunny and too-obvious cameo that just reminded me of all the ways Paper Heart didn't work.

It's awful because Bullock panders to every bad instinct she has ever had -- pretending to be too young, pretending to be the master (mistress) of "wacky," playing one too many 30-ish wallflowers.